Stone of destiny

DNA is a wonderful resource and I am so glad I decided to take a test way back in 2017 – but little did I know where it would lead me and the things I would discover. Some of the outcomes have been wo

When I first started to trace the Tonges, my mum’s dad’s side of the family, I thought they might be a tad predictable. We didn’t know very much about them, but surely if there were any interesting ta

BONNIE MacGilvray was exhausted. She felt wrung out by life and the business she was in – all of it. A fortnight ago her husband had suggested that this might be the moment for her to go on a trip tha

I am writing in connection with Sarah Williams’ article “What’s in a Name” in the July issue of the magazine. My great great grandmother, Ann Rogers Wardleworth née Bell, was widowed in 1860 at the ag

The British merchant service was renamed the Merchant Navy after World War 1 to mark the vital role its sailors played in wartime. That role continued in World War 2 as merchant ships carried troops a

Content warning: Be aware before you start revisiting your own family history from this new perspective it can bring up unsettling feelings and emotions. If you know you are a sensitive person or you